Girdle



Oct. 17, 1950 A. s. JOHNSON GIRDLE Filed :June 24, 1948- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VLN TOR.

Augus/a 5: Johnson fro/pay Oct. 17, 1950 A. s. JOHNSON GIRDLE 2 Sh e ets-Sheet 2 Filed June 24; 1948' INVENTOR. Augus/a 5. Johnson Patented (Jet. 17, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I'IGIRDLE Augusta S. Johnson, New York, N. Y. Application June 24, 1948, Serial No. 34,972

4 Claims.

My invention relates to garments worn by women for the purpose of supporting and holdme in shape the mid portion of the body from above the waist to the hips.

The main object is toprovide a garment of suitable form which can be made economically and in suitable form to accommodate the wearer.

One object is to provide means for reinforcing the front of the garment in such a manner as to facilitate commercial production.

Fi 1 shows the front of the garment.

Fig. 2 shows a fragment of the upper edge of the rear.

Fig. 3 shows the back of the front portion of the garment, and a part of a side.

Fig. 4 shows on a smaller scale the same parts shown in Fig. 3 but with a portion broken away to show the reinforcement of the front as well as the reinforcement of the rear portion of the front.

In the form shown, the front portion 5 of the garment may be principally of inelastic material and provided with an elastic insert 6 at the center of the lower edge. The back or rear portion 1 of the garment may also be of inelastic material and provided with an elastic insert 8 at the center of the upper edge.

The sides 9, 9 of the garment are of elastic material.

The various parts are of course shaped to accommodate the body in the most comfortable and satisfactory manner.

It has been customary in the past to reinforce such garments by providing reinforcing means for the front of the garment in the form of bones or steels extending diagonally and crossing each other. These flexible stiffening. members have usually been enclosed in tubes and sewed to the back of the front portion of the garment. The stitching of these crossed reinforcing members interferes materially with the stitching process. I have accordingly improved upon such method of reinforcement as herein shown.

Reinforcing steels l and H are accordingly secured in tubular tapes stitched to the back of the front portion in the usual manner running diagonally as shown in Fig. 1. The second set of diagonal steel members l2 and i3, is secured in a conventional manner in tubular tapes stitched to a reinforcing panel M which is built into the garment by attachment along the edges I5, l6, and H, the lower edge l8 being loose. By fastening the two sets of tapes containing the steels to separate foundations, it is poss ble to accomplish the attachment by conventional stitching 2 means without the difficulties heretofore encountered where the two sets of tapes containing the steels are secured to the same foundation.

I also provide reinforcing steels 2i) and 2| in the underarm portion of the garment diverging upwardly from the seam 22 between the elastic s'idep'ortion andthe back of the garment. These reinforcements hold the garment in shape without inconvenience to the wearer.

The elastic insert 6 at the front provides for expansion and contraction for the abdominal region and the elastic insert 8 at the back provides for expansion and contraction at the back of the garment.

Hose supporters 23, 23 are attached to the lower edge of the front panel 5 and other hose supporters 24, 24 are connected to the lower opposite corners of the rear panel 1.

In the form shown, the garment is provided with fastening devices 25 along the adjoining edges of the front panel 5 and the side panel 9. These may be of hook-and-eye or other form and it should beunderstood that the garment may be also made in the step-in form where the fastening devices extend from the upper end only part way down the garment. V The upper corners of the front panel 5 may be ornamented by appication of embroidery or fancy crossed ribbons 21 as shown in Fig. 1.

It will be understood that any desired number of reinforcing steels may be provided for the front portion 5 and reinforcing panel I4.

I claim:

1. A body garment comprising a main front panel of inelastic material, an auxiliary front panel secured at its upper and side edges to the rear of the main panel, an elastic insert in the center of the lower edge of the main front panel, reinforcing members supported by and arranged diagonally across the main front panel and reinforcing members supported by and arranged diagonaly across the auxiliary panel and across said first-named reinforcing members in spaced relationship.

2. A body garment comprising a main front panel of inelastic material, an auxiliary front panel of inelastic material secured at its sides and upper edge to the rear of the main panel, an inelastic rear panel, elastic side panels, reinforcing members supported by and arranged diagonally across the main front panel and reinforcing members supported by and arranged diagonally across the auxiliary panel and across said main panel reinforcing members in spaced relationship.

3. A girdle including an inelastic main front panel having parallel tapes stitched along their edges to form tubes extending diagonally from one side of the upper edge of said panel downwardly toward the other side of said panel and a separately formed auxiliary panel secured to the upper and side edges of the main panel on the inner face of said main front panel and having parallel tapes stitched along their side edges to said auxiliary panel to form tubes extending diagonally from a side of the upper edge of said auxiliary panel opposite to the said side of the main panel and downwardly toward the other side of said auxiliary panel and stiffening mem bers enclosed in said latter tubes, the arrangement of the tubes being such that the stiffening members in the tubes which are stitched to the auxiliary panel cross the stiffening members in the tubes which are stitched to the main front panel in spaced relationship.

4. A girdle including a main front panel having elongated parallel tubular tapes stitched along their edges to said panel and extending diagonally from one side of the upper edge of said panel downwardly toward the other side of said panel, spaced elongated stiffening members enclosed in said tubes, 2. separate auxiliary panel behind the upper portion of said main panel and disposed in face to face relationship with said main panel, the overlapping edges of said panels being stitched together, elongated tubular tapes stitched along their edges to said auxiliary panel and extending downwardly thereaoross from the upper edges thereof in directions opposite to the directions of the tapes on the main panel whereby said stitched tubes cross each other in spaced relationship, and elongated stifiening members enclosed in the tubular tapes of said auxiliary panel.

AUGUSTA S. JOHNSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,577,126 Johnson Mar. 16, 1926 1,673,881 Olmstead June 19, 1923 2,137,163 Imershein Nov. 15, 1938 2,172,210 Lewis Sept. 5, 1939 

